The game went back and forth throughout and wasn't decided until the final seconds. Utah took a 66-64 lead when Rawson hit a 3 from the right side to snap an 0-for-7 shooting slump for the Utes, who went 8:23 without a field goal.

"Ty was wide open," Bibbins said. "I was happy he knocked it down."

On the ensuing possession, Bibbins drew a charge against Bearden and knocked down two free throws. Johnson missed a straightaway 3 at the other end, and Barefield's free throw with five seconds to go made it 69-64.

"I don't think there's a college team - I may be wrong - that shoots more free throws in practice," Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "We've got some guys that really shoot a high percentage of free throws."

The teams went into halftime tied at 32 after Bearden's buzzer-beating jam, and the score was tied 51-all after the third quarter.

BIG PICTURE

Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers went 7 of 24 from 3-point range, ending an NIT run that included wins over three teams from power conferences: Boston College, top seed Southern California, and Oklahoma State. "Sometimes when you shoot a lot of 3s and make some, it can be fool's gold a little bit. That's not our strength," Stansbury said. "We shot some 3s early, made some, got some separation, and probably fell in love with it a bit too much early and shot too many. That's not who we are."

Utah: The Utes missed seven of their nine shots from the field in the fourth quarter but advanced because they hit 12 of 14 free throws in the period. ... It was the first meeting between the schools and Utah's first game against a Conference USA opponent since losing 69-60 to Tulsa in the 2008 CBI quarterfinals.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Instead of college basketball's traditional format of two-20 minute halves, the postseason NIT has been played with four 10-minute quarters. The tournament also implemented the FIBA 3-point line (22 feet, 1.75 inches), NBA-width lane of 16 inches, and a 20-second shot clock following offensive rebounds.

UP NEXT

Western Kentucky: Looking ahead to next season.

Utah: A chance to win the NIT for the second time. The school's only title came in 1947 with a 49-45 victory over Kentucky.

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